Terms of Enticement
by mamasutra
Summary: After ten years part one twisted agreement forces former best friends and could have been lovers back into each others lives. What happens when life gives you an opportunity to get it right even though everything about it is all wrong? ***Sequel to The Pledge** EXB
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

"Here he comes again," Seth hissed to me in a low whisper that hinted at his anger just as the painted glass door of my shop swung open. I should have known he would come here since he had made an appearance every day at three pm since the night he left me.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" I could hear Seth ask in a forced voice that dripped with fake happiness so thick that it was almost painful to listen to, yet I couldn't stop listening from the rabbit hole that I had trapped myself in just to avoid the man.

"Yeah," I could hear him say with velvety tones that continued to haunt my dreams.

"I want three snicker doodle cookies."

It was the same thing he asked for every afternoon. The same afternoon treat that he had requested for months before finding the courage to admit that he was seeing her behind my back. The same fucking request he made each and every weekday since leaving me for her.

I listened as Seth silently filled the request since for as much as he wanted to tell him to fuck off we needed the patronage since business was sparse. I remained hidden as I listened to him shift from one foot to another. I wanted to believe that he was nervous or felt bad that he was buying his slutty secretary cookies that his former fiancé had made, but I knew better. There was no remorse, no bad feeling, only him being the self absorbed asshole that I never saw in him, but Seth insisted was there.

I held my breath as Seth handed him the bag of cookies in exchange for the six dollars that would make no difference in our empty till. I knew what was coming next. It was the same thing he said each and every day that he left my shop.

I waited, hoping like hell that he would just leave without a word spoken, but praying that he would not forget.

"Tell Bella I said hello," he called out in a loud voice, signaling that he wasn't fooled. He knew I was there hiding and this was him was calling me out as the coward I was.

**AN:**

**Thanks for reading!**

**For those interested this is the sequel to The Pledge. It is set 10 years out and told in Bella's POV. I'm open to having it beta'd if anyone is interested. I am currently planning on posting whatever I have of it on Sundays since it give me all work week to write. I do have plans of posing teasers on The Fictionators as well as on my facebook group page Mamasutra Moments if you are interested at all.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

"Bella?" Seth called out to me as if he had no idea where I was, which was laughable. He knew where I was, but more importantly he knew not to disturb me as I mixed the batch of oatmeal raisin cookies that was our number one seller n our tiny bakery. Seth never understood my need for silence even though he had been my go to guy since announcement that we were best friends right after meeting him at freshmen orientation at U of Iowa.

"Hmmm," I half murmured as I watched the paddle mix the stiff batter while letting the droning of the engine drown out the whining tone that purely was Seth.

"You've been summoned," he mocked as he tossed a piece of rich cardstock on to the counter top close to me.

"What?" I questioned while shutting off the mixer before looking at the paper as it lay there, instead of my friend of five years.

"You heard me, baby," he teased as my eyes focused in on the ornate logo at the top of the paper. It was a capitol C with scrolling type set that hinted at old money and prestige that could only be bought with the blood, sweat and tears of generations of workers in our small town.

"You've been called up to Emerald City," he teased in a snotty tone that was meant to make me laugh as he mimicked the Cullen family, but there was nothing funny about this. I had avoided all things Cullen for ten years and was in no mood to deal with their fuckery.

"Tell them no," I replied with a firm nod of my head as I dismissed the mental image of an eighteen year old boy that dismissed me without another thought. Vengeance was a bitch and this case it was mine.

"What?" Seth cried in shock as I rolled my eyes at his theatrics.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" he demanded from me as he moved to stand before me as if his bitch brow could knock some sense into me.

"Not at all," I continued on as I watched the dough in the metal bowl as it twisted with the help of the paddle.

"No, sweetheart, you have," he assured me in his over the top manner that made me want to roll my eyes in response.

"Listen, I get you have some sort of blood feud going on with the crowned prince of the Cullen clan, but damn woman," Seth sighed as he looked at me over his rimless glasses with a look of disbelief.

"I don't think I need remind you what having Cullen Consultants as a client, let alone as a one with an open account, would do for us," he explained as I had forgotten the bottom line when I was the one who balanced the books each night. I knew more than him that the money was not only needed, but just the exposure to other local businesses would add to our clientele list. I knew this. I knew it all too, but the idea of dealing with Edward turned my stomach a little. He wasn't the adorably dorky boy I had once loved. He was every bit a Cullen now and while I had expected that change, somehow it still hurt when he acted liked he didn't know who I was just a few short months after graduation.

"I know, Seth…I know, but…" I began only to trail off as the ringing of bells alerted us both to customer.

"Hello?" I could hear a woman calling out into the stillness of the bakery.

"I'll be right there, Sug" Seth called out to the faceless woman as he looked at me with a syrupy sweet fake smile that was meant for the woman instead of me.

"We aren't done here, Bells," he hissed at me with a pointed look hat spoke of his irritation over my refusal to give in before leaving me alone to finish off the cookie dough in peace.

I barely had moved from my spot when I heard Seth calling for me. It was in a tone that hinted of a client in the making with his happy lilt even though I could hear how he was trying to hide it. It was enough to make me gag as I listened to him engage in conversation with whoever had come in seeking our services while wiped my hands clean and plastered a fake smile upon my face.

I walked out into the small seating area to find Seth engaged in conversation with a blonde that looked no older than the last time I had seen her ten years ago.

"Bella, this is Rosalie Cullen-McCarty," Seth began as I met the ice blue gaze of the woman that I had long forgotten about along with her asshole brother.

"Bella," Rosalie stated with a weak smile that barely resembled the brassy blonde that I knew from experience kicked ass first and took names later. It was clear the girl had been crying and while I wanted to remain unaffected by her tears, I could not stop myself from asking the one questioned that screamed out to me as I watched her sitting there in her defeated pose.

"Is Edward ok?"

AN:

Thanks for reading!

This is a little early, but I didn't think you would mind.

Xoxo

Mamasutra


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Settled over a cup of coffee and a slice of my vanilla bean cheesecake that I knew she would love, Rosalie surveyed me with a critical eye. She was always the type that could see the cracks in someone's soul no matter how hard you hid them. She was the only one who had ever called me out on my then would be crush on her brother.

"How are you holding up?" she asked me in a soft voice that hinted at the sympathy that I had grown to hate.

"I'm fine," I mumbled with a mouthful of cheesecake, letting my rudeness stall the conversation.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Jessica-"she began, but I silenced her with a wave of my hand as the words for her to stop strangled me into silence.

"You got the flowers, right?" she continued on as if flowers sent to a funeral were enough, when there were no words, or flowers, for that matter, that could ever ease the ache that losing a sister creates in inside of a person.

"Yeah, they were lovely. Thank you," I managed to say while giving her a polite smile.

"I know that Edward wanted to go, you know, to pay his respects, but Asshole had him in Topeka at a seminar instead," she continued to grumble on as I shook my head over her nick name for her head strong grandfather.

"No big deal, Rosie. I wouldn't have had time for him anyway," I managed to say as she took a dainty sip of coffee.

"And truly, it's the thought that counts," I finished through gritted teeth as I thought about the card he sent over a year ago when Jessica died. It was one of those generic cards that you pick up at any store, filled with some generic message of condolence with his chicken scratch scrawl across the bottom simply stating his name_. _

"Yeah," she murmured as she watched me swallow the bitter the words that bubbled from with inside me as our conversation took an awkward turn.

The silence heavy hung between us as I looked from her to the near empty streets of the downtown where my shop was located.

"Why are you here?" I asked, not caring that I was being blunt. I was tired of the game she was playing.

"I wanted to see if you were ok?" she shot back as if her concern would be enough to spur her into action, but I knew her enough to know that was a lie.

"Ok, well, I am… So…" I began as I stood up to dismiss her since I was done with her and this conversation.

"Bella," she half pleaded in a whine whiel pouting at me. It was that pout that had gotten her out of trouble in her teen age days, but I was far from the naïve teen I had once been so it did little for me.

"Rosie," I mocked her using the same tone that she had used against me only to earn a scowl in return.

"What do you want?" I repeated as she looked at me with an expression that was supposed to be innocent, but I knew her innocence was long gone. She could fool others, but I knew her. I knew she was a master manipulator. I had witnessed it and experienced it firsthand.

"Not me," she finally conceded with a defiant look upon her face as if it were righteous anger that brought her here.

It took a moment for her words to sinks in as I realized what she was saying. It wasn't her that needed help and there was only one person I knew that she would willingly sacrifice for.

Edward.

"No," I said firmly as she took a deep breath to rally back in her response.

"Listen, I don't know what lovers spat the two of you had ten years ago, but I do know you. I know you care about him otherwise you would not have asked if he was ok," she began in a loud rambling tone as I tried to talk over her shrill tone, but instead of silencing her I only caught Seth's attention. His dark eyes watched us with a curious look as Rosalie rambled on about my failed friendship with her asshole brother.

"He needs some help, Bella," she paused, giving me the moment I needed to speak so that she would actually listen to me.

"Oh, he needs some help alright! He needs someone to help him take the stick out of his ass that he had lodged in there up in Northwestern," I mocked as she rolled her eyes at me over my jab at his prissy know it all behavior.

"You know, I would be more offended by your comment concerning my brother if it wasn't common knowledge that he was right," she stated with a knowing look as she verbally knocked the wind out of me.

"Don't," I hissed at her as I refused to acknowledge what he did six years ago as being anywhere near right. It was an asshole move by someone who I had always assumed was my friend even if we weren't in constant contact.

"Listen, I'm tired of fighting with you," she breathed out with a sigh as if all of this was draining for her when it was, my past, and my life, which she was interfering with.

"Good, then don't," I said with a shrug as I stood up to walk away from her as I had done other times before.

"You know, he told me not to come here," she called out to me as I walked away.

"You should have listened to him. I mean, we all know that Edward Cullen is _always_ right. Just ask him," I scoffed without looking back at the scowling blonde while I brushed past an astounded Seth on my retreat to the safety of my kitchen.

**AN:  
Thanks for reading! It's a day early, but that's ok, right?**

**I decided that it would be nice to start sharing recipes on here here since I love to cook : )**

**Recipe for Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with White Chocolate Mouse**

**1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers**

**1/4 cup sugar**

**1/2 cup butter, melted**

**1 egg yolk, beaten**

**1/4 teaspoon vanilla**

**16 ounces cream cheese, softened**

**1 cup sour cream**

**2 tablespoons cornstarch**

**1 cup sugar**

**2 tablespoons butter, softened**

**1/2 teaspoon vanilla**

**vanilla bean, from one pod**

**1 cup whipping cream**

**2 tablespoons powdered sugar**

**4 ounces cream cheese, softened**

**4 ounces white chocolate baking squares, melted**

**1 cup whipping cream**

**1 tablespoon powdered sugar**

**beans from one vanilla pod**

******Crust: **Crush the graham crackers. Mix in the sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, then stir in the melted butter. Line a springform pan with non-stick foil. Press graham crackers into the pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Remove and let cool.

******Cheesecake: ** Combine cream cheese, sour cream, corn starch and sugar, mix until sugar is dissolved. Add butter, vanilla and beans, blend until smooth. Don't over mix. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 1 hour.

******White Chocolate Mousse:** In a cold mixing bowl beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Put this in a bowl in the fridge. Don't wash your mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese in it, until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream.

******Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream:** In cold mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar and then vanilla beans, beating until stiff peaks form.

**After the cheesecake has cooled spread the mousse evenly on top. Refrigerate for about an hour then spread the whipped cream on top. Refrigerate several hours before serving.**

**Enjoy!**

**Xoxo**

**Mamasutra**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

"Well, consider us for all your catering needs," I could hear Seth cooing to Rosalie as I stood in the small commercial kitchen that had become my hideaway since the moment I had opened doors to the bakery.

"I will," Rosalie responded back with a purr that made me roll my eyes since I could almost see her flirting with the boy. She had no idea the flirting would get her nowhere with Seth since he was not interested in shallow blondes who would fuck you over in a heartbeat.

I moved slowly, blocking out their conversation as I slowly scooped out the oatmeal raisin cookie dough, forming it into the cookies that they would become. It was methodical and mindless, but it was that senselessness that had saved me from my rambling thoughts too many times to count.

"You know, if you want to self destruct, I'm cool with that since everyone loves to watch a great fall from grace, but that… that thing I just witnessed here with Rosalie Cullen-McCarty… that was just fucking stupid," he bitched as he entered my sacred space of the kitchen.

"You don't understand," I quipped back to him as I looked over to find him leaning upon the door frame with a smart ass grin upon his face.

"You're right. I don't so why don't you enlighten me," he shot back with a grin that had stolen my heart years ago when we met during our first week of college. Seth was my friend and brother that I chose to add to my family when I needed someone as I dealt with Edward's silence.

"What's the deal with this guy?" he asked me as I shook my head at him only to listen to him groan in response.

"I don't mind your silence, Bee. Your business is your business, but this guy… this Edward Cullen has been a sore spot for ten years and… And while I gotta I'm incredibly impressed on your ability to hold a grudge to this degree without being a member of the mafia, but… This shit with you and him… it needs to stop," Seth said slowly as if I had a mental deficiency that kept me from understanding this basic concept. "We need the business and I can't… I mean, I won't let you take this from us just because of some bull shit teenage behavior that happened years ago."

His words stung because they were true. I knew we needed the money. I knew I needed the money, yet saving Edward from whatever make believe crisis that he had thrust himself into was the last thing I wanted to do after how he behaved.

"At least tell me what happened so I can understand and maybe hate this guy like you do, since everything I know… everything I witnessed about this guy… I gotta say it and I know this will hurt Bee, but everything that I know about you and him leads me to believe that he hasn't done anything to earn the level of hate that you dish out whenever his name is mentioned," Seth said as he stepped back from me with a soft grin since he knew that just implying I was wrong about Edward was enough for me to lose from damn mind.

"I told you," I half assed whined as he watched me with a patient look that only added to the twisting discomfort that was a heady mix of embarrassment and dislike as I thought about the boy I used to know.

"You told me he left without a good bye," he stated without cracking a smile.

"You told me that you barely kept in touch and when you did it was something that you had to force," he continued as I looked away.

"That's true," I agreed and then watched him smile as if he was pleased that he had paid attention to some of my drunk rambling about Edward.

"I remember him coming to Iowa City when you broke your leg," he offered up with a grin as he reminded me of Edward's impromptu visit to my apartment that I shared with him and three others after I had slipped on ice while walking to class only to break my leg.

"He was pretty good to you if I remember right," he offered in a suggestive tone that made me bark out a laugh.

"Yeah, really good if you think being good to someone is keeping them high on pain pills and feeding me ice cream," I snorted in response as I rolled my eyes at him and his memory.

"He knew you loved strawberry, Bee. I had lived with you for two years and had no fucking clue that strawberry was your favorite," Seth defended as I laughed at him.

"Oh, well that definitely means he's a fucking fantastic guy," I snorted as I turned to place the empty mixing bowl in the sink to wash out before the end of the day. I wanted out of the small kitchen and even smaller space as Seth continued to try to find some reason as to why I refused to deal with Edward Cullen.

"You know, that high school kid down at The Great Wall restaurant knows what I order before I even open my mouth so maybe that means I owe him something as well," I mocked and then waited for Seth's smart ass comment, but it never came. He just continued to focus on me with a quizzical look until I watched his eyes light up with recognition.

"This is about Jasper," he announced in a tone that was full of victory as I tried to hide the stumble in my step as continued to load the industrial sink with the last of the dirty dishes that I had created.

"No," I managed to say, but it was too late. Seth knew.

"He hated Jasper," Seth continued on as if I hadn't even spoken.

"Everyone hated Jasper," I reminded him of something that he used to tell me throughout my courtship and eventual marriage to my now ex-husband.

"Yeah, that's true. Jasper was always a huge asshole," Seth agreed with a solemn nod of his head as if what he spoke was the gospel truth.

"But this was different. You didn't care if I hated Jasper. Hell, I told you I hated Jasper the night I met him and you didn't give a shit," he rambled on almost with glee because no one loved being right more than Seth.

"_He _hated Jasper and because of it he must be destroyed," he mocked as I rolled my eyes at him even though there was some truth to what he had to say. Edward did hate Jasper. He had hated him from the moment they had met and never once did he ever try to hide that fact from me or Jasper.

"Shut up," I mumbled as I sprayed off the dishes using the industrial sprayer so they would be somewhat clean before being placed in the dish washer.

"No, that's it!" Seth announced gleefully before laughing loudly as if some great puzzle had been solved.

"What did he say?" Seth demanded as I shook my head no, not that it mattered. Seth would just continue to push the issue until he knew.

"What does it matter what he said?" I asked him and then listened to him sputter, giving me a moment to enjoy catching him off guard with my agreement to his accusations.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed as I watched him hop up on the metal counter top that I had just cleaned, settling in for some story that I wasn't about to tell him.

"I mean, I may not have known Edward fucking Cullen all that well, but it was pretty damn clear the guy wasn't shy when it came to sharing his opinion when it came to you," he rambled as I looked at him, letting his words sink in against the phantom voice that belonged to Edward, bitching at me over nonsense like he always did.

"He needed to mind his own business," I retorted as Seth ignored me, rambling on over what little memory he had over a boy that drifted in and out of my life without rhyme or reason while never really letting me in his.

A**N:**

**Thanks for reading!**

**My favorite oatmeal cookie recipe. **

**3 1/4cup of flour**

**1TBS baking powder**

**1 ½ tsp cinnamon**

**1tsp baking soda**

**2 cups plus 2 TBS shortening**

**1 ¾ cup brown sugar**

**1 ½ cup sugar**

**3 eggs**

**1 tsp vanilla**

**4 cups of oatmeal **

**2 ½ c raisins**

**Blend flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, & baking soda. Set aside.**

**In mixing bowl, mix shortening, brown sugar, sugar, eggs & vanilla until fluffy. Mix in flour mixture for about 2 minutes. Blend in oatmeal & raisins last.**

**Scoop out about ¼ c of cookie batter and place on greased cookie sheet. I use parchment paper and that works wonderfully. Bake at 350. Check the cookies from about 8 minutes on since the directions have list 9 to 12 minutes to cook.**

**Enjoy!**

**Xoxo**

**Mamasutra**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

The shop was silent with it's large glass doors locked as they were always were at the end of the day. Seth had long abandoned me to chase after whatever girl he was longing for, but not before telling me what a moron he thought I was in the most loving way possible. He didn't understand, and if I was being honest, he never would.

_"You're being ridiculous, Bella," he stated in a very matter of fact tone that did nothing for my temper._

_ "Yeah, well, better to be ridiculous than boring," I scoffed without thinking, uttering the same words that Edward used to tease me with during better days, except now they left a bitter taste in my mouth. _

I shut off the lights of the shop and slipped out the glass door proudly displaying the name Pearl City Bakery before locking the door with a loud click. As I stepped out from under the bright red awning I found myself turning to look at the ugly glass building that was Cullen Consultants. It was a horrible habit that had began one night after renting the small space so close to him. Looking at the mass of decorative, yet functional glass with its senseless pageantry was nothing compared to the odd sense of longing for my lost friend that always accompanied seeing that mass built to honor the Cullen name.

"You know, you shouldn't walk alone after dark," a voice called out to me, causing me to gasp in surprise as I turned to find Jasper Hale leaning against the newer Toyota Camry that I had helped him pick out a year ago. His blonde hair was slicked back and his suit jacket was gone making him look worn from a day at work. He looked tired, yet beautiful, just like he always did. It was his beauty that had always called to me while also proving to be my biggest dawn fall.

"Go home, Jas," I managed to say with enough venom in his voice to make him grin.

"I always loved how feisty you were," he laughed as I stumbled in my get away from him.

_Loved._

It was always that damn word that brought me back to reality. He loved me, yet it wasn't enough.

"Jas, I have to go," I stammered as I turned away from him only to have him follow my stumbling steps.

"Why?" he demanded with a snort of laughter as I increased my pace, trying to put more space between him and me, but he refused to leave me alone.

"Because," I shot back without any other excuse to give him, not that it mattered. He knew I was lying. It was the same game we had played on countless nights since he left me.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Be," he called out to me as I approached my car, unlocking with a push of the button in order to escape him.

"Yes, it does," I shot back to him in a huff as I yanked the car door open with enough force to cause me to trip before making my escape from him. I locked the door behind me, leaving him standing there with a surprised smirk on his face. It was that same smirk that left me with an itching palm that ignited the burning need to smack it off of his face. It was an urge that I fought on a regular basis.

I drove off into the night with one back glance at the man who had been my husband, but instead of seeing him standing in the darkness watching me go, I could only see the dark shadow of an overpriced sports car that had dogged my every step for the last three months that I had been at home. I didn't have to see the car to know that it was an obnoxious purple or view the shadow of the man inside to know who the driver was.

"Damn it, Edward."

The words escaped my lips just as the not so mysterious car suddenly came to life before leaving the empty parking space that it had occupied.

**AN:**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Xoxo**

**Mamasutra**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

I drove along the streets until I found myself in front of the Newton house. It was my night to see them as long as Mike allowed it. Just thinking of how it came to be that the asshole had to allow me to see my sister's children created a slow burn within me as I sat in the car watching the lifeless house.

After a deep calming breath, I opened the door of my car and walked up to the house with a smile. Katie and Cassie and needed to see a happy face. They needed to someone who loved them and who would allow them to grieve their mother instead of pretending that she never existed.

I knocked on the door and waited. My nerves were running like wild fire, causing a storm of butterflies on my belly as I anticipated another cold confrontation with Mike. Slowly, the door opened, but instead of his smart ass grin greeting me it was the sad eyes of Mrs. Newton, Mike's mom.

"Bella," she greeted me with a weak smile that turned my stomach.

"Mrs. Newton, I'm here to see the girls," I announced with more bravado than what I felt, just like I did every week that I came to see them.

"About that," she stated with a small uncomfortable grin.

"Mike has spoke with a counselor and they've decided the best way for the girls to get over all of this is to remove all things that remind them of Jess," she continued on while I watched her, stunned into silence.

"I hope you understand," she finished with a grin that looked more like a grimace as I stood before her in disbelief.

"What are you saying?" I questioned her, feeling a numbness wash over me as I watched the older woman fidget nervously before me.

"I'm saying you can't see the girls anymore," she finished flatly as she watched me closely.

"They are my sister's children!" I screeched at her as she shook her head at me as if I was the one who was wrong.

"And your sister is dead!" she yelled at me as if Jess choose to leave them behind.

"He can't do this," I muttered as I noticed the shadow lurking the background. It was him. It was Mike, leaving his mother to do his dirty work like always.

"You fucking coward!" I screamed at him as I watched him disappear in the house.

"You're too chicken shit to come out here and tell me to my face, so instead you send your mommy like the damn mama's boy you've always been!" I yelled at him, but Mike still remained hidden the shadows while his mother waved her hands nervously at me as if she was shooing me away.

"You think this is any easier for Mike?" she yelled at me in anger, causing me to focus my fury on her as she stood before me.

"He can't move on with his life if there is this constant reminder," she growled at me, as if I gave a damn about him.

"So the plan is to obliterate their mother's memory? It will be as if she never existed?" I demanded as the old woman shuddered under the blast of my rage.

"That is… that is just…." I stammered unable to collect a rational thought as I thought about Jess's girls and how they lost her only to lose even more in the end.

"You're not welcomed here anymore, Bella" the old woman bellowed at me as I stood on the front porch staring at her in disbelief.

"You can't do this!" I yelled directing my rage at the coward inside instead of the messenger who watched me with a scowl firmly on her face.

"We did, so get out before I have to call the police," she stated in a haughty tone, but I could hear the uncertainty in it.

"Mrs. Newton, the girls need me," I whispered to her, allowing her to see my desperation even though it was humiliating, but I was willing grovel if it meant I could see them.

"I know, Bella, but this isn't my decision," she whispered in response, looking at me with tear filled eyes that shocked me since she was never one to go against her son. I continued to stand there as she whispered as soft _I'm sorry _before softly shutting the door with a quiet, yet deadly click.

**AN:**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Xoxo**

**Mamasutra**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

I waited patiently in the uncomfortable chairs as Jacob Black looked over what little information I gave him. His features were screwed up in a dark scowl of confusion as he sought out whatever information would help me. It was that look of confusion that reminded me why he was so cheap in comparison to other lawyers. It had to be because he had no idea what the hell he was doing.

"I don't know, Bella," he finally breathed out flatly as he looked from his computer screen back to me with an unsure look.

"What do you mean?" I questioned as I waited for him to continue on impatiently.

"I mean, there is no court precedence for aunts and uncles seeking visitation rights," he sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous fashion.

"So?" I shot back and with an impatient growl as he looked at me with a worried look that only added to annoyance.

"So, it means this would be a first," he sighed as he looked back at his computer screen as if it somehow held the answers.

"That's fine," I urged him on as he shook his head at me as if I was the one who was slow, no him.

"No, it' not fine, Bella," he looked at me with a dark look.

"It will be hard work."

"So?" I continued on to question him as he ignored me.

"And expensive. Really fucking expensive," he sighed as he looked at me with a knowing look. He knew better than most that I had no money. Every last dime I had was tied up in my bakery to just keep it afloat as we struggled to gain a market in our small town. It was grueling and left me with nothing at the end of the month.

"Plus, this is… this is out of my scope of ability, Bella," he sighed in a defeated tone that surprised me since Jacob may not have been the brightest in the bunch; he always had a brass set of balls. He was not one to shy away from a fight so seeing him so quickly decline from helping me was unnerving.

"You need an attorney that specializes in family law for this one if you want to stand a chance."

"Ok, who do you suggest?" I asked him with all the confidence that I could pull together after seeing the defeat in his eyes.

"I would suggest Aro Volturi. He's a mean bastard who's known for getting his way in court," he said without missing a beat.

"But he's not cheap; Bella and he sure as hell won't take payments in the form of cookies and pies."

**AN:  
Thanks for reading!**

**For the record, as someone who has taken their dead sister's husband to court seeking visitation rights to her three nieces, it's not that simple and courts don't care if the father is an ass or not. **

**Xoxo**

**Mamasutra**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight

"Well, Mrs. Hale-"Aro Volturi said as he looked at me over glasses that sat upon the tip of his nose.

"It's Ms. Swan," I corrected him as he nodded before making a quick note as to the change.

"The marriage…I never…" I stammered as I tried to explain the odd situation I had found myself in with Jasper Hale. It was a situation where I had left him at the altar only to have him leave me a few years later for this bimbo secretary. He had told me I had pushed him into the affair, but that was lie. No one ever is pushed into an affair. It's was a choice he made, not that he ever owned up to his bad decision.

"I'm sorry I misunderstood," he stated firmly while shuffling papers before me.

"Mr. Black referred me here," I began hoping to pull the conversation back to where I needed it to go.

"He said that you were the best."

"Jacob Black is well known for his ass kissing abilities, Ms. Swan," Aro chided as I watched him laugh at his own joke.

"Let's cut to the chase shall we?" he finished as he looked at me with ice cold blue eyes.

"I want visitation rights to my nieces," I blurted out and then waited for the man's reaction, but he gave me none.

"Ms. Swan, I am sure that Mr. Black told you there has yet to have been a case where an aunt or uncle has won such rights," he explained as I nodded. I had been warned.

"It would be less costly for you to work out some sort of informal agreement with the children's father."

"Mr. Volturi, I agree, however Mike Newton is opposed to such an arrangement," I explained as he watched me closely while remaining silent.

"I know that I don't stand much of a chance here…" I began once more only to be silenced.

"I never said that," he interjected, causing me to sputter in response.

"Ms. Swan, you have to understand that this won't be easy," he stated as he looked at me with hard eyes.

"And the odds are not in your favor."

I nodded that I understood. I understood all too well that I had no real chance to win, but I could not just sit back and do nothing while he systematically removed their mother from their lives.

"Ok, then," he sighed as he looked at me for a moment before going over what his services in this case would cost me.

**AN:**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Xoxo**

**Mamasutra**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

The bakery was humming with life as I walked in after my failed meeting with Aro Volturi. I greeted customers with a soft smile as I passed by them to make my escape into the kitchen, but not before handing out cookies to the young children that played while their mom chatted with another mom over coffee and cake.

"How'd it go?" Seth called out to me as I breezed past him in order to wash my hands before returning to work. There was hopefulness in his tone that only added to the sick feeling that was threatening to swallow me whole.

"I don't know…" I trailed off as I thought about Aro's promise to win, but it would cost me. It would cost me a lot.

"I mean, he said the same thing that Jake did. It's never been done before, but he was willing to try," I explained as I turned to find Seth leaning against the door frame that separated the kitchen from behind the counter.

"That's a good thing, right?" he asked with a grin as if what was said was good news when it truly was anything but.

"A good thing for him. Not that it matters," I laughed through the bitterness of my words.

"What do you mean?" Seth shot back as I turned to grab my apron to get started on whatever treats that I would bake that day.

"I mean, while he thinks he can help me, which is awesome," I began with an irritated sigh as I turned to face my friend who watched me with a confused look.

"But I can't afford it so it doesn't matter."

I didn't wait for his everything-thing-will-be-alright response since I knew better. It wouldn't be.

"Oh, Bee," Seth whispered as he stepped forward to wrap in me in one of patented bear hugs. It was warm and welcoming, but it didn't erase the sick powerless feeling that came with the realization there was nothing more I could do.

"Maybe I can talk to Mike," Seth offered as he held me.

"The guy has to see that you just want to see the kids. What harm is there in that request?" Seth asked, speaking out the same questions that I had asked myself countless times before.

"Thanks," I mumbled as I broke free from his embrace. It was a sweet gesture, but I knew Mike well enough to know that it would be one he would refuse. He wanted to move on with his life as he has told me before and I have never begrudged him that, yet I never understood how moving on with his life meant that the girls were no longer had Jess's family. It was senseless to me.

"I'm going back out there," Seth said with a sigh as he motioned towards the front with a jerk of his thumb as I wiped at the tears that had started to form in my eyes.

"You take a breather," he encouraged before taking a step back to eye me with a worried look.

"Go on," I motioned him before watching him go.

I hated being weak, but more than that I hated not having a plan. I hated the unknown. It was always a problem of mine and this was no different.

I looked over the mixer and the silver metal counter tops until I focused on the phone that was silent as it rested upon its receiver. It sat there mocking me with its silence as the ghost of Edward's voice whispering in my ear from the countless messages he had left for me.

_You can't avoid me forever._

He was right and that was just one more thing that I had come to hate.

**AN:**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Xoxo**

**Mamasutra**


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